ELVIS '68
COMEBACK
SPECIAL
After his stint in the army, Elvis Presley
spent most of the ‘60s being exploited
by his manager Colonel Tom Parker,
who forced him to appear in a string of
terrible films rather than record music
(watch Clambake or Kissin’ Cousins at
your own risk). When the money started
to dry up thanks to such mediocre
product, Parker accepted an offer from
NBC to film a special of Elvis performing
live for the first time since 1961. Wanting
to show off, in his words: “ . . . what I
can really do,” the full production of
Elvis backed by an orchestra in front
of a massive crowd showed the King
still had the magic. Easily the best part
though was a sit-down acoustic session
with Elvis and his classic backing band
(including legendary guitarist Scotty
Moore) performing classics in the
round for adoring fans, arguably laying
the groundwork for future unplugged
performances. It would be all downhill
for Elvis after this,